How a Mars mission could ease California’s future droughts

A rope float sits on the dry banks of the Russian River at Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach Park on February 21, 2014 in Healdsburg, California.

For a glimpse at how arid stretches of the southwest might one day deal with droughts like the one gripping California, a good place to start is the NASA Ames Research Center in the heart of Silicon Valley.

At the Water Technology Development Lab, scientists are working on a daunting task: Making sure astronauts don't die of dehydration. That becomes a particularly tricky problem as NASA winds up for a three-year journey to and from Mars.